First oil production has started from ConocoPhillips Eldfisk II project in the Norwegian North Sea.
The Eldfisk II project includes plans to drill 40 new production and water injection wells from the new Eldfisk 2/7 S platform. One of four pre-drilled wells is currently online, with the remaining three anticipated to come on stream this month. Production from the field will ramp up over the next three years as additional wells are brought online.
Image: ConocoPhillips is using the Maersk Innovator jackup drilling rig for drilling on Eldfisk II.
Eldfisk II is the latest development in the Greater Ekofisk Area - home to Norway's firsy oil discovery - Ekofisk - which first started full production in 1974. Its developnent follows the Ekofisk South development, which came onstream in 2013.
Eldfisk II, along with Ekofisk South and other projects offshore Norway, will add approximately 60,000 boe/d to the company's production volumes by 2017, said ConocoPhillips.
"Eldfisk II joins Ekofisk South as the second major project startup in Norway since late 2013," said Matt Fox, executive vice president, Exploration and Production. "These projects will increase ultimate resource recovery and extend the field life of this premier legacy asset for years to come."
The 15,500-tonne Eldfisk II topsides, comprising a combined living quarter and utility module and a combined process and wellhead module, were fabricated at Kvaerner Stord, Norway.
The Greater Ekofisk Area, about 200mi. (300km) offshore Stavanger, is comprised of four producing fields: Ekofisk, Eldfisk, Embla and Tor. Crude oil from Greater Ekofisk's producing fields is exported via pipeline to Teesside, England, and natural gas flows via pipeline to Emden, Germany.
The oldest permanent platform in the Ekofisk Area, Ekofisk 2/4 A ceased production in 2013, with plugging and abandonment works starting in 2014.
ConocoPhillips (35.1%) operates the Greater Ekofisk Area. The other Ekofisk co-venturers are Total (39.9%), Eni (12.4%), Statoil (7.6%) and Petoro (5.0%).
“Eldfisk came on stream in 1979 and the field still has significant reserves. The Eldfisk II project should extend the lifespan of Eldfisk for some 40 further years,” says Michael Borrell, Total’s Senior Vice President Exploration & Production, Europe and Central Asia.
“Following the start-up of Ekofisk South end of 2013, the start-up of Eldfisk II demonstrates once again the potential for value creation in mature fields such as the Greater Ekofisk Area.”
Read more:
End of an era for Ekofisk's first platform
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